Nell’s Quilt by Susan Terris

Nell’s problem is that she’s ahead of her time. A wanna-be feminist in 1899, Nell doesn’t get much sympathy from her traditional family when she tries to turn down her cousin’s marriage proposal in favor of attending college. To distract herself from the impending doom of matrimony to a man she doesn’t love, Nell immerses herself in the making of a crazy quilt. As Nell’s obsession with quilt grows, her body shrinks as she refuses both food and support from her concerned relatives. As the end of the book draws nearer, you’re not sure what will be finished first, the quilt or Nell’s life. An interesting historical novel that portrays anorexia in a way that has nothing to do with modern society and bikini-clad babes in Seventeen magazine.